[REWIND] Mental Health For Athletes: An Interview With Michael Atunrase

College students struggling with mental health… recently, we’ve been seeing it on the news too often. Sport is an amazing thing but we shouldn’t forget about balance, identity, and a sense of well-being either. 

That’s why we’re re-releasing our popular episode with coach Michael Atunrase, who will give you invaluable insights on how to keep your athlete mentally healthy.

We talk about support systems, balance, identity, growth mindset, communication, vulnerability and so much more.

“… it’s such a wonder for them mentally when they realize
that their losses are not true losses because they could
learn from them and build from them.” 

Michael Atunrase

For many kids and teenagers, playing sports becomes a big part of their life and even their identity. Knowing that anxiety and depression can increase during intense training periods, it’s important to know as a parent how to support your child’s mental health. Whether your child is still a preschooler or already in high school and dealing with the pressure of recruiting to get on a college team, you want to listen to this one!

More about Michael Atunrase

After completing his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, Michael pursued a professional football career. Knowing he wanted to continue pursuing a professional career in human performance training after football ended, he acquired his CSCS (Certified Strength Coach Specialist), NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine), and NASE (National Academy of Speed & Explosion) certifications. 

Over the past decade, Michael Atunrase has trained several top athletes and helped them to reach their full athletic potential. His training model goes further than just workouts. He also focuses on educating his clients on what their minds and bodies endure through their training processes.

In 2020, he officially launched Resilience Fitness & Sports Performance, a virtual fitness and performance training service where you can go for both virtual and in-person performance training, group training, 1:1 training, yoga, HITT training, and much more.

More about Active & Connected Family Therapy

Active & Connected Family Therapy is a mental health practice serving individuals, families, and our community. A&C is designed to help people at all stages and from all walks of life by offering therapists and physicians with diverse backgrounds and specialties via face-to-face, walk-and-talk, and telemedicine appointments. Throughout, we are committed to developing strengths-based, authentic, and long-lasting relationships with you and your children. We hope to provide you with the support and insight you need to help your family navigate life’s hard times and joys.

Contact us here.

In this episode on mental health for athletes, we cover:

• Three ways to keep your athlete mentally healthy
• How sports play an important role in a teenager’s life and their identity
• Your role as a parent in your child’s athletic life
• The importance of communication
• Growth mindset

Resources and links mentioned in this episode

• Are you or your child struggling with mental health? We have a team of psychologists and psychiatrists who can help you out. Don’t hesitate to contact Active & Connected Family Therapy here, or contact The Lewis Practice here.
• We’d love to hear your feedback on our podcast. Why not leave us a review on Apple Podcasts?
• Get in contact with Michael on his website, Facebook, or Instagram.
• Connect with us on Instagram.
• We’ve got a bunch of episodes for you to binge listen! How about this interview we did with Michael about nutrition and body image for athletes?